But That's Love
by Jak Pickens
Summary: Bruce and Selina take a trip down memory lane during the wedding, trying to figure out exactly when they'd truly fallen for one another. (Night-of-Episode-Oneshot) (5x09) (BatCat)


**A/N: I'll be honest: I was jumping around the room screaming at the top of my lungs like a little girl in the closing scenes of tonight's episode. I've never been that happy about an episode of Gotham before. I mean, it was just perfect! Bravo Erin Richards and Ben McKenzie, bravo! The Zsasz scenes were utterly hilarious, Jim's trial was SO good, and every single BatCat moment literally had my heart jumping around in my chest. I mean, THE KISS! It was EASILY my favorite BatCat moment ever, and **_**BRUCE STARTED IT!**_** *sigh* Can the season just end here? When I go back after the Season ends and re-watch the whole series, I might just stop here and not watch the final three episodes, since we know they're not gonna let Bruce and Selina be happy. But that's what Fanfiction is for so suck it Gotham writers!**

**Anyways, the title of tonight's Night-of-Episode-Oneshot pretty much explains the prompt. I went through a bunch of different title and story ideas, but this one seemed to sum up the whole episode. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy!**

**But That's Love**

They sat there, shoulder to shoulder, watching two people being married in the middle of hell on earth. But, like Harvey said, "That's love."

Selina glanced up at Bruce from the corner of her eye.

When had it all begun, their story? Their love?

Maybe it'd all started in that godforsaken alleyway, the place where Bruce's life changed forever, but his life wasn't the only one that took a drastic turn that fateful night.

It felt like such a long time ago…

At the time, it seemed like her whole world was falling apart. The night was cold and wet. She'd gotten sloppy and nearly got caught by some chump whose wallet she'd stolen. To think…if he'd stopped her, her whole life would've turned out differently. But it hadn't. She'd made her way down a fire escape, dumping the wallet and preparing to go back home. Then, she met someone whose luck was even worse than her own.

And, for some reason, that thought intrigued her to no extent.

Everything changed that night. At the time, neither child would've claimed that it'd changed for the better, but history would tell different.

As children, she'd teased him to no extent, pushing him farther and farther out of his comfort zone. It became a game to her, to see how much she could change him in such a short time span. Was she changing him for the better? She really didn't know, nor did she care, at least, not at first. At the beginning, she saw Bruce Wayne as a character, someone larger than life.

She'd soon learn differently.

That boy in the alleyway was just like her: scared and alone. She saw it late in the nights at the Manor, when they sat across from the fireplace, stoking the dying cinders, both unable to sleep. For her: the bed was too comfy, too foreign. For him: all sleep held were nightmares. And so they kept each other company until the dawn came.

She saw it in the way he pleaded with her to go help Alfred, the only thing close to a family he had left.

She'd seen his true colors, and in them she saw herself.

Maybe that's when it started…

But no, that couldn't have been it. She'd left, after all. Granted, it was accompanied with a goodbye kiss, but they were just kids. No, that couldn't have been when it started, not for her anyways.

What about him? Sure, Bruce had always had a _huge_ crush on her, especially in their early years. But he was just a kid. What did he know?

Well, for one thing: he knew when he saw her in that dress, his whole world stopped for a split second. She'd been there for him when he needed it the most, always. He was lost in a sea of pain and chaos and she was an island, a refuge.

So maybe that's when it'd began, his love for her?

But that didn't explain everything he felt. When he'd told her that he trusted her with his life, that he felt tied to her in a way that he couldn't explain but would never change, he'd meant it. Could simple acts of kindness create a bond that strong between two people? Even in the broken state he'd been left in after his parents' murders, it seemed like a bit of a stretch.

On the other hand, that moment, that statement, it had meant more to her than he could ever know.

Her whole life, she'd been trying to push people away, to keep herself from getting hurt. She broke that rule once. At the time, she'd figured the universe owed her one, that it'd taken so much from her, at some point it had to pay her back. So she'd let herself get attached to one person, just one. She didn't like to hope for things, but maybe if she hoped for just one thing…just one…it might not hurt her. Maybe something good could come out of it, even?

Then, when she needed Bruce the most, that she-devil Silver came along.

Sure, it wasn't his fault. He didn't know any better. He was under her spell (just like he'd recently been under the spell of another she-devil).

But she hadn't left him there. She had too much riding on this to abandon him.

Then, when she'd saved him, he'd told her everything she didn't know she needed to hear.

She felt…loved.

For the first time in years, someone actually gave a damn about her. And she'd found someone she could fully trust for the first time in her life.

Was that when it'd begun? Her love for him?

Maybe…but maybe not. A few months later when he'd left the Narrows, when he'd left her behind, it was shattered. All the trust she'd been storing in him, everything that she'd had riding on him, gone in an instant.

But that wasn't the end of their story.

No, they weren't even close to done, not yet.

He'd reached out to her, again, dragging her into the worst mess, yet. Dozens of feet below Arkham Asylum sat Indian Hill, where the worst of Hugo Strange's experiments lived. They'd gotten separated, Selina becoming Bridget Pyke's 'servant' and Bruce waiting with Gordon and Lucius until further orders were given to them by their captors.

He'd apologized to her, saying that he'd been arrogant and manipulative, that he'd dragged her into the mess.

And on some level, she agreed with him. It was his fault for being a self-righteous, arrogant jerk, for dragging her into yet another one of his many problems. But she knew she didn't believe it.

Still, she'd risked everything to find him and tell him that the building was going down within the hour.

Then, he told her to get herself out, like it was some big revelation he'd had for her.

The thought was almost comical. As strong as Bruce Wayne thought he was, she was stronger. She could handle herself.

And handle herself, she would, saving his sorry ass in the process.

Then, he wanted to go and throw himself into another horrible situation, hunting down the 'secret counsel that runs everything in Gotham'.

And she hadn't hesitated to volunteer in helping him do so.

But was that love? Doubt started to creep into her mind.

Could she really trust him, after everything he'd done?

That thought, that doubt, it was the start of the end of their first relationship.

He'd soon hurt her, again, and again, and again, all of the pain culminating in him completely pulling away from her. It was the first time he'd done that. Until then, she'd been the one walking in and out of his life as she pleased, comforted by the fact that he'd always be there for her.

And then, when she tried to walk back in after he'd stabbed Alfred, to comfort him, he didn't let her. In fact, he told her all the worst things about herself. He'd told her that she was selfish, that she didn't care about anyone or anything but herself. And the part that hurt like hell: he was right. That was what she got for opening up to someone, for hoping against hope that someone, anyone would understand her.

But it hadn't been easy for him, either.

Everything was so confusing and it was all happening so fast, and Selina wasn't exactly helping clear anything up.

He'd tried his hardest to be there for her, but things came up. He had a doppelganger for god sakes!

Even still, he tried to not let her go, finally 'revealing' how he really felt for her on the rooftop of the Sirens Club. In return, she'd kissed him and walked off, offering no answers as to where they were.

Maybe if she had…things could've turned out differently.

Maybe if he hadn't tried so hard to be 'boyfriend and girlfriend', maybe if she hadn't pulled away as much as she had, maybe if they'd just stayed friends, it could've all turned out differently.

But it didn't.

Their first relationship's foundation had been built on shared pain, and it was too unstable to stand for long.

So, they let it collapse.

The first chapter of their story concluded, but it turned out to be the best decision they ever made.

From the rubble, a new foundation was established, a foundation built on something neither Bruce nor Selina were overly familiar with.

Hope.

Hope in each other. Hope in a future. And from that hope came trust, if a bit slowly, and especially for Selina.

Their interactions were no longer purely matters of life or death, nor were they horrible attempts at dates. Instead, they were simply Bruce and Selina, friends who looked out for one another, who flirted on occasion. It felt like they were meeting each other for the first time all over again, like they were twelve again, sitting in front of a fireplace in the dead of night.

"I'll be here whenever you need me," she'd told him. And she'd meant it, every single word. She let the hope take hold of her.

And, just like before, it all came crashing down.

Three months, she sat in that hospital bed, endless pain emanating from her lower back. Every day, he'd sit with her; tell her all about what was happening outside the confines of her prison. Every day, she had to see the pain in his eyes when he looked at her, the regret, the guilt.

It was too much.

She just wanted it all to stop.

So, she tried to end it all.

And thank whatever God was up there she failed, because within a day of her suicide attempt, Bruce came to the rescue. Her knight in shining leather saved the day as always.

When she got her feet back under her, she took full advantage. But something within her had changed.

She knew it, and Bruce could see it.

But he still pursued her. Like she had said, "Whenever you need me." He'd be there for her just like she'd be there for him.

Maybe that was when it started. Even after she 'killed' Jeremiah, even after she'd told him all those horrible things about herself, he hadn't stopped pursuing her. He hadn't been repulsed by the worst parts of her. In fact, he seemed to chase her even more.

And a part of her wanted him to chase her, to save her.

Then, Alfred had told her that Jeremiah was going after Bruce, recreating the night his parents died. The night that it'd all began. The night that had changed her life, forever.

The whole run across the city, all she could think of was saving him, fixing her mistake from years ago.

This was her chance to relive it, the start of it all. If Jeremiah was hell-bent on recreating the past, then she'd just have to change it.

And so she did, saving Gordon, Lee, and Bruce with a single flick of her whip.

As soon as Jeremiah was neutralized, when the threat was over, everything became clear for Bruce.

Selina had saved him. She'd come back for him. She'd been there when he needed her the most, and he wanted nothing more than to do the same for her, to be there when _she_ needed it.

So, he set out to do that, to right the wrongs he'd made when they were too young to have a serious relationship.

A romantic, candlelit dinner for two. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything.

Everything is what could go wrong.

First, he'd brought up his thoughts on leaving Gotham. He thought she'd be thrilled, since she'd also been planning on leaving, but not so much. Instead, she seemed to believe that Gotham wouldn't survive without him, which he thought was a little overdramatic, but he got the idea.

Then, Ivy had to show up, take control of his mind, and drag him off while Selina fought to the death with a guy three times her size.

Yeah, not his proudest moment.

But she hadn't given up on him, not by a long shot.

And when she found him, she proceeded to beat the living hell out of him, which turned out to be the best and only solution to remove Ivy's spell.

But in that moment in between punches when his eyes had gone clear, she saw it, an emotion that she didn't want to name, one that'd gotten her in a lot of trouble before. So she punched him again, well after the affects were worn off.

Maybe that was the beginning of it all, their love, their story. That look he gave her…

The next month was the best of her life.

At Jim and Lee's wedding, she found herself leaning against him during the service.

Harvey said the words, "You may kiss the bride," and the small audience broke into cheers.

Selina found herself grinning ear to ear at the sight. Two people in love, getting married in the worst possible conditions at the worst possible time. It gave her hope…

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Bruce staring at her.

She slowly returned the gaze, her heart fluttering in her chest when she saw the look in his eyes. She froze up, stupidly asking, "What?"

He smirked and she thought she was gonna collapse on the spot.

But he didn't let her.

Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her in close, and kissed her.

She gave a small hum of surprise, then relaxed into him, a smile tugging at her lips.

They stayed there way longer than what was probably appropriate for the venue, but neither Selina nor Bruce cared.

As far as they were concerned, their story had been ongoing for over seven years, and it was all for this moment.

Sure, it'd come with pain, heartbreaks, and betrayals, but that's love.

"Hey, Cat," Bruce murmured, pulling away from the kiss while leaving as little space between their lips as possible.

"Yeah?" she hummed, her eyes slowly opening to meet his.

"Thank you."

She furrowed her brow. "For what?"

He kissed her, again, and that was answer enough.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed and if you did please make sure to Review! Also, let me know your thoughts on tonight's episode. If you ask me, it's one of my favorites of the whole series up to this point. Thanks for reading and ciao for now!**

**And for my **_**Roles Reversed**_** and **_**Escapades**_** readers, new chapters will be coming out for both very soon. I'm kinda swamped with school at the moment, but I'll get around to it. Also, I'm gonna be posting at least two other oneshots during the break, so keep an eye out for those.**


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